The present invention relates to the field of recharging battery-powered electronic devices.
As the number of small, portable, electronic devices in daily use have multiplied, so too have the devices used to charge the batteries of these devices. Each new device seems to arrive from the store with a recharging unit, or xe2x80x9cbrick,xe2x80x9d in the sales package.
Many modern portable electronic devices are capable of processing data. There are even complete personal area networks comprised entirely of devices that are solely powered by internal batteries.
Such useful devices are commonly found in use by those travelling in the employment of technology concerns. Engineers in high tech often find themselves working in a hotel room with an array of devices, such as a laptop computer, a printer, a scanner and sometimes a cellular phone, all linked together into a personal area network and connected to the internet. Frequently, the same devices that can be linked together by data cables need to link to utility power through their respective recharging units. The result of this need is the requirement that the travelling xe2x80x9croad warriorxe2x80x9d carries an ever enlarging array of recharging units and cables.
Most modern computers are capable of communicating with peripheral devices by use of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard. The USB offers both high speed serial data communication between a wide variety of peripheral and communicating devices as well as a power connection for some devices. Since some portable devices, such as personal data assistants, can accept power through the same USB port through which they communicate to a host computer, a number of devices have begun to emerge with recharging units that recharge through a USB-type port and the devices data cable. However, these devices require a specific recharging unit for each unit being recharged and, when using this system, cannot simultaneously be in communication via the same cable.
Prior art FIG. 1 illustrates a situation encountered often by the modern technology user. A user of more than one modern electronic device currently needs a separate device for powering and recharging the internal battery of each of the necessary devices in use. Laptop computer 101, for example, requires power supply 111 and its associated cable. Portable handheld computer 105, which here can also mean a personal data assistant (PDA), requires power supply and cable 115. Cellular phone 106 requires charger 116 and calculator 107 requires charger 117. Even electric razor 108 can have an internal, rechargeable, battery and thus require recharger 118. The result of the need for multiple power supplies, especially when travelling, is a tangle of cables and an array of power supplies whose population equals the number of useful devices carried and used.
What is required is an apparatus or system that can reduce the need for multiple charging systems in a suite of portable electronic devices. Such an apparatus should be able to charge a wide variety and large number of electronic devices and should use existing mechanical and electrical hardware to a large extent.
Disclosed herein is a device power and recharge apparatus that uses the power output capability of the universal serial bus port to provide device power to a large number and variety of electronic devices. The power and recharge apparatus can simultaneously allow for data communication through the same port and perform as a hub for a personal area network when connected to the appropriate devices. The power and recharge apparatus can take power from computer ports as well as from utility power sources.
Embodiments of the present invention relate to using a dedicated charging USB hub-device to charge a portable electronic device using a standard electrical and mechanical interface. This plug-in transformer/hub may be used in conjunction with any notebook or desktop computer and various other USB devices. The travelling user can equip himself with several USB charging cables for his small rechargeable gadgets, which can recharge his cellular phone, or other similar products available for handheld devices. When travelling light, the user need only carry his USB charger cables and his notebook computer. The notebook computer can recharge any or all of his other devices. If a personal area network hub is needed, the user can also use the plug-in transformer/hub. The hub need not be plugged in since the notebook can provide power to each device. If the user happens to be located near a utility power outlet, then the transformer/hub can be plugged into the wall, and the USB recharger cables connected to the devices which need to be recharged. The notebook computer need not be connected, since the USB cables and the transformer/hub can be used solely to recharge the devices.
More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to an apparatus for supplying power to electronic devices, comprising a housing, an electric power source connector coupled to the housing, an electronic circuit enclosed in the housing and electrically coupled to the power source connector, and a universal serial bus connector coupled to the housing and electrically coupled to the electronic circuit, wherein the connector is capable of supplying electrical power to one or more electronic devices for battery charging. The electronic circuit is capable of controlling the charging of the batteries of more than one device and can be enabled to provide data communication between data devices. The apparatus may receive power from a utility power outlet or from another electronic device through one of the USB connectors.